Soccer success a ‘Cyr-ious’ issue for Madawaska girls squad

Open up an Aroostook County phone book and you’ll find lots of Cyrs. But for the Madawaska girls soccer team, the four Cyrs on the team – that’s not counting coach Dan Cyr – are confusing because of their first names.

There are two Ashley Cyrs and two Andrea Cyrs playing for the Owls. Three start, and the fourth gets significant playing time off the bench.

None of the girls are related and none are related to Dan Cyr, who teaches at Madawaska and has the Owls at 6-0 in his first season after coming over from the Fort Kent girls varsity.

The team uses the girls’ middle names to distinguish which Cyr is which. Ashley D. Cyr, the striker, is called “DC” because her middle name is Diane. Ashley A. Cyr, a wing player, is “AC” because her middle name is Ann.

Then there’s midfielder Andrea M. Cyr, who is just known as “M” for Michelle and Andrea K. Cyr, the sweeper, who is “K” for Kelley.

But even with the nicknames, it’s hard for the girls to keep track of who’s being given directions during games.

“It is confusing because sometimes Mr. Cyr is talking to me and he’ll say, ‘DC, do this!’ And I’m like, who’s DC? And I get a little lost,” said Ashley D. Cyr, who scored three goals in Tuesday’s 7-0 win over Wisdom of St. Agatha.

Oh, and there’s another Ashley on the team – fullback Ashley Dionne. Her nickname is “D”.

“So that gets confusing to me, because I’m DC,” Ashley D. Cyr added.

As long as everyone can keep the names straight, things go pretty smoothly. In fact, things have gone so well for the Owls that with Ashley D. Cyr playing striker and Ashley A. Cyr on the wing, the girls frequently connect on goals. Those scores become AC-to-DC goals, kind of like the name of the rock band.

“AC-DC, that’s one of our things, too,” Dan Cyr said.

Hermon to dedicate new lights

A ceremony to dedicate the new lights at the Hermon High School soccer field will be held Friday evening between games of a season-opening Penobscot Valley Conference doubleheader between the Hawks and Foxcroft Academy.

The girls teams from the two schools will square off at 5 p.m., followed at approximately 7 p.m. by the boys game.

Between the contests, a dedication ceremony will be held in recognition of the lighting project, according to Hermon athletic director Paul Soucy, and donors that helped make the project possible will be recognized for their contributions.